An aerial view of Qinzhou Port in Guangxi. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2021 Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port Cooperation Summit and the China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network Conference will take place in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Sept 11.

The event, to be held both online and on-site, will gather representatives from sectors such as local governments, port management and operation agencies, shipping logistic companies, transnational companies, international organizations and financial institutes from both China and ASEAN countries. 

Discussions will be held around two main topics, namely building a community of shared interests for ports in China and ASEAN and the high-level construction of the Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port. 

Pressing issues related to how to deepen cooperation in areas spanning trade, investment, shipping network, logistics system and finance will be discussed as well as the current global opportunities and challenges such as the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade regulations and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Signing ceremonies for projects such as the strategic cooperation between governments and companies and the cooperation between ports and shipping companies will also be held during the event.   

Guangxi will invest more than 100 billion yuan ($15.43 billion) to construct the Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25). It is expected that the cargo throughput of Beibu Gulf will exceed 500 million metric tons by 2025 and the container throughput will reach 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).